If you haven’t stocked up at the University Bookstore, you’re running out of time.

The store will close its operations in the Odette Building at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, October 31, and will re-open on Monday, November 12, in Vanier Hall’s Winclare lounge. Marketing manager Martin Deck encourages customers to buy course materials and school supplies before end-of-day Wednesday, but notes that online ordering will remain operational through the transition period.

“We are also waiving all shipping charges for orders placed in the month of November,” he adds.

The Bookstore will also staff a satellite operation in the CAW Student Centre selling UWindsor-themed clothing and giftware. Its kiosk there will open by Monday, November 5, in the vendor area inside the building’s east entrance.

Find more information on the Web site of the University Bookstore.

UWindsor staff and faculty are invited to eat, drink and be scary at the annual Faculty and Staff Hallowe’en Social. The lunchtime party, sponsored by the president’s office, runs from noon to 1:15 p.m on Wednesday, October 31, in Vanier Hall's Winclare A.

This year’s spine-tingling event promises prizes for best individual and group costumes in addition to door prizes, says organizer Mary-Ann Rennie.

“It’s a great way for people to get away from their desks for an hour of fun,” Rennie says. “They get to have a wonderful time together and show off their creativity.”

The highlight of the event is the creativity of the costumes, says Carolin Lekic. Lekic, who is the history department secretary, dressed up as Cruella de Ville last year and looks forward to seeing the other costumes.

“Wearing a costume is fun, and it brings out the kid in me,” Lekic says. “It’s even more exciting since this is something you wouldn’t do on a normal day.”

Sociology student Michelle Gajewski won Monday’s DailyNews trivia contest and earned two tickets to see the University Players production of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery The Hollow at Essex Hall Theatre.

Gajewski’s name was drawn from all entrants who correctly identified Washington Irving as the author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Godric’s Hollow as the Potter family village, and Jessica Verday as the author of the Hollow trilogy.

The University Players production of The Hollow continues Wednesday through Sunday. For information or tickets, call 519-253-3000, ext. 2808, or visit www.universityplayers.com.

The Marketplace food court in the CAW Student Centre will celebrate harvest season Wednesday, October 31, with a selection of old-fashioned dishes at the Homestyle station.

The menu features roasted root vegetables and potatoes served with your choice of entrée—for lunch, corned beef and cabbage, country-style ham, country-style chicken drumlets, or vegetable Wellington; for dinner, vegetable Wellington, roast pork with apple sauce, country-style breaded chicken, or roast beef.

For a special seasonal dessert, the cafeteria will serve pumpkin pie with fresh cinnamon whipped cream, all day, for just $1.99.

The International Wednesdays documentary series presents Baraka on Wednesday, October 31, at noon in the International Student Centre on the second floor of Laurier Hall.

This 1992 film by director Ron Fricke has no actors and no script—in fact, no words at all. Instead, it is filled with dramatic images of nature, religious ritual, oppressive city life and war, filmed in more than 150 locations across 24 countries.

While the film contains no narration or dialogue, it nonetheless contains a clear three-act story. Act 1 depicts scenes of natural wonder and religious rituals. In Act 2 the movie shifts direction as a Brazilian rainforest tree is razed, an enormous strip mine scars the landscape, cities grow and take on a mechanical breathing sound. The result is overpopulation, poverty, prostitution and ultimately genocide. Act 3 presents redemption as civilizations collapse under their own weight and people return to nature.

International Wednesdays screenings are free and open to the public.

Zina Plantus is most commonly known to her student clients as “the postcard lady,” for her collection on display in the financial aid office, says acting director Marian Doll.

“Zina’s workstation is wallpapered with postcards from vacations that she has taken and that others have taken,” Doll says. “Many times, students have brought in postcards to add to her collection.”

Plantus is retiring at the end of October after a 29-year career with the University of Windsor. Doll says her even temperament suited the Student Awards and Financial Aid Office.

“Despite the often stressful and chaotic environment, Zina always managed to stay calm and collected,” she says. “She would never allow anger or frustration to show through.”

Her officemates celebrated with a luncheon last week but invite colleagues from other departments to stop by and offer congratulations on Wednesday, October 31, Plantus’ last day.

Campus Community Police is offering a free self-defence course to female students and employees at the University of Windsor in two six-hour sessions starting at noon on Saturday and Sunday, November 3 and 4.

The Rape Aggression Defence program provides realistic self-defence tactics and techniques for women. The RAD System is a comprehensive, women-only course that begins with awareness, prevention, risk reduction and risk avoidance, while progressing on to the basics of hands-on defence training.

The provided manual outlines the entire physical defence program for reference and continuous personal growth and is the key to a lifetime return and practice policy for course participants. Register online on the Campus Community Police RAD Web site.